Judge to rule on City Hall expansion

Jeffrey Libby

Monday, Jan. 14, 2002 | 10:44 a.m.

After a short hearing by telephone, a U.S. District Court judge said today he will issue a decision later this week on the contested award of a $39.5 million expansion of Henderson City Hall.

The expected ruling by Judge David Hagen will decide the last of several legal protests filed by Colorado-based PCL Construction against the city's award of the contract to Pittsburgh-based Dick Corp.

PCL already abandoned several other claims, including an unfounded argument that Dick Corp. had not paid enough state taxes over the past five years to accept the bid.

That argument was thrown out after a city investigation produced qualifying tax records dating to 1996.

This morning, as previously argued, PCL argued that irregularities in the bid process gave Dick Corp. an unfair advantage over PCL.

The city maintains that it acted within its rights, awarding the contract to the apparent lowest, responsive, responsible bidder, Andy Urban, Henderson assistant city attorney, said.

PCL bid $42.6 million, $2.1 million higher than Dick Corp.

In mid-December, Hagen rejected a request by PCL to halt any work that would have brought the city closer to breaking ground on the expansion.

On the strength of that ruling, the city has signed additional contracts and helped Dick Corp. moved into temporary offices at City Hall over the weekend, Urban said.